Carrier Commercial Refrigeration Europe is celebrating a landmark achievement in the deployment of natural refrigeration technologies after surpassing the 1,000th CO₂OLtec® project installation in Europe. The CO₂OLtec transcritical refrigeration system, with its 1000th installation in a Kiwi store (Kiwi Laskentunet) in Norway, uses the natural refrigerant carbon dioxide (CO₂) to improve system operating efficiency while reducing the carbon footprint. Collectively, these 1,000-plus CO₂OLtec systems reduce CO₂e emissions equal to removing 70,000 cars from the road for the duration of the systems’ operation. Carrier, the world’s leader in high-technology heating, air-conditioning and refrigeration solutions, is a part of UTC Building & Industrial Systems, a unit of United Technologies Corp. (NYSE: UTX).

First installed in 2004, the CO₂OLtec range of products uses transcritical booster technology to deliver cooling for low- and medium-temperature applications. The technology currently provides more than 100 megawatts of medium-temperature capacity to more than 1,000 sites in 19 European countries. Germany has the highest number of CO₂OLtec systems in operation, followed by Norway and Switzerland. The CO₂OLtec refrigeration system improves energy efficiency by an average of 10 percent compared with traditional hydro-fluorocarbon (HFC) systems in mild to cold climates. The energy savings, coupled with reliability and safety performance, have contributed to the success of CO₂OLtec technology.

To bring viable CO₂ technology to all of Europe, Carrier has worked to develop specialized solutions, such as ejectors, economizers and mechanical sub-coolers, which allow its CO₂OLtec system to also operate efficiently in warmer climates. “Carrier has made tremendous progress toward tearing down the former ‘CO₂ equator,’ thanks to new technological developments. A number of projects have been delivered in Spain and Italy, including a successful field trial of innovative controllable ejector technology,” said Christoph Brouwers, director, mechanical systems programs, Carrier Commercial Refrigeration, Europe.

The increasing popularity of Carrier CO₂OLtec systems over the past 10 years can also be attributed to the wide range of applications supported by the CO₂OLtec product family, which includes small CO₂ condensing units to large indoor and outdoor refrigeration racks. This product diversity means the CO2OLtec system can provide solutions for applications ranging from small stores and petrol stations, to hypermarkets and distribution centers.

The CO₂OLtec product family recently was expanded to include integrated systems designed to take control of a building’s thermal energy supply. These range from basic heat recovery for space heating or hot water systems, to fully integrated systems providing refrigeration, heating and cooling, ventilation and lighting control from a single source. CO₂OLtec integrated systems deliver up to 35 percent energy savings versus an equivalent R-404A system with a gas boiler, while reducing greenhouse gas emissions by up to 58 percent.

“We see more and more customers turning to natural refrigerant solutions for their refrigeration needs. At Carrier, the number of CO₂OLtec projects in operation has more than doubled over the past two years,” said Gunter von Starck, director, marketing, Carrier Commercial Refrigeration, Europe.

Carrier believes the operational benefits of Carrier’s CO₂OLtec system, combined with ongoing efforts by customers to reduce their carbon footprints, and the new European Union F-Gas (fluorinated gas) Regulation, mean that the CO₂OLtec success story will continue.

About Carrier
Founded by the inventor of modern air conditioning, Carrier is the world’s leader in high-technology heating, air-conditioning and refrigeration solutions. Carrier experts provide sustainable solutions, integrating energy-efficient products, building controls and energy services for residential, commercial, retail, transport and food service customers. Carrier is a part of UTC Building & Industrial Systems, a unit of United Technologies Corp., a leading provider to the aerospace and building systems industries worldwide. For more information, visit www.carrier.com or follow @CarrierGreen on Twitter.